DeFazio Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

For Immediate Release: September 3, 2014
Contact:
Jen Gilbreath (DeFazio), 202-225-4081

DeFazio Celebrates the 50^th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

Landmark law has protected nearly 110 million acres of irreplaceable wilderness

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Peter DeFazio (D-OR) celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, landmark legislation that has protected and preserved nearly 110 million acres of irreplaceable wilderness. He also called for Congress to act on dozens of stalled wilderness designation bills. Under Republican leadership, the 112^th Congress was the first Congress since 1966 that failed to pass a single wilderness bill. Only one has passed in the 113^th Congress.

“For fifty years, Republicans and Democrats have come together to protect some of our most iconic and treasured lands under the Wilderness Act. Because of this landmark, bipartisan law, nearly 110 million acres of irreplaceable wilderness areas have been preserved for our kids and our grandkids. Unfortunately, like so many previously bipartisan issues, wilderness bills have fallen victim to the partisan morass plaguing this Congress. With only twenty-seven legislative days left in the 113^th Congress, I urge my colleagues to allow us to vote on the dozens of languishing wilderness bills, and grant protections for these incredible lands,” said DeFazio.

KEY STATS

• The Wilderness Act of 1964 was signed into law on September 3, 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• The Wilderness Act created the National Wilderness Preservation System, and gave Congress the authority to designate wilderness areas.
• Currently, there are 759 wilderness areas, totaling nearly 110 million acres, in 44 states.
• In Oregon, some of our most iconic spaces have been protected as wilderness areas, including Eagle Cap, Three Sisters, Mount Hood, the Steens Mountains, Wild Rogue, and Copper Salmon.
• Oregon enjoys 47 wilderness designations, protecting over 2.5 million acres.

Table 1. Additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System

Source: Congressional Research Service

a. Excludes laws with minor boundary and acreage adjustments (less than 10 acres of net change).

b. The first number indicates the number of new wilderness areas; the parenthetical number indicates the number of additions to existing wilderness areas.

c. This total differs from the total of the column because of acreage revisions.

d. This includes 56.4 million acres that were designated wilderness through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA: P.L. 96-487).

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